Golden Globes’ Firsts and Mosts
January 18th, 2007 by Andre Soares
Tom O’Neil in The Gold Derby:
"No, no, no, no — contrary to some wrongheaded sources over the past few days, Helen Mirren did not make Golden Globe history by becoming the first star to win kudos for acting on film and TV in the same year. Joan Plowright did so back in 1992, winning best supporting actress in [the] film Enchanted April and best supporting TV actress for Stalin.
"In addition to tying Rosalind Russell as the biggest winner of film awards by a woman (five), Meryl Streep tied another Globe record, too. Back in 2003, remember, she won a trophy for appearing on TV in Angels in America. That brings her total tally to six — the same number top champ Jack Nicholson has (his all for films)."
O’Neil, with the assistance of a poster at the Gold Derby forum, goes on to list all best film (drama) winners that only took home that one Globe.
For the record, the five Rosalind Russell Golden Globe wins were for: Sister Kenny (1946), Mourning Becomes Electra (1947), Auntie Mame (1958), A Majority of One (1961), and Gypsy (1962). The first two were as best motion picture actress (there was no drama vs. comedy/musical division in those days); the last three were as best actress (comedy or musical).
Russell was nominated for Academy Awards for the first three films in the Globes list. She was by far the favorite to win for her (godawful) performance in Mourning Becomes Electra, but the Oscar ended up going to dark horse Loretta Young in The Farmer’s Daughter.
Russell also received an Oscar nomination for the hard-as-hell-to-find 1942 comedy My Sister Eileen, but that was the year before the Hollywood Foreign Press started handing out awards.
The five Meryl Streep (film) wins were for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), as best supporting actress; The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), best actress (drama); Sophie’s Choice (1982), best actress (drama); Adaptation (2002), best supporting actress; and The Devil Wears Prada (2006), best actress (comedy/musical).
According to the Hollywood Foreign Press site, Shirley MacLaine also won five acting awards. One of these, however, was not for a specific performance. In 1959, MacLaine was given a special award as "most versatile actress."
Note: In 1988, Sigourney Weaver also won two acting awards in the same year, both in the feature film "section": best actress for Gorillas in the Mist (tied with Jodie Foster for The Accused and Shirley MacLaine for Madame Sousatzka) and best supporting actress for Working Girl. Weaver received Oscar nominations for both performances, and eventually became the first individual with double acting nominations to become a double loser. Adding insult to injury, she hasn’t been nominated since.
Ah, and veteran stage and screen performer Joan Plowright went on to get a best supporting actress nod for Enchanted April, but lost the award to Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny. Proof positive that the Academy has a twisted sense of humor.
Source for the Golden Globe winners: IMDb.
Full list of 2007 Golden Globe winners and nominees
Full list of 2006 Golden Globe winners and nominees
Full list of 2005 Golden Globe winners and nominees
Oscar’s Foreign-Language Film Potential Contenders: 2nd Round
Palm Springs Film Festival Awards - 2007 Winners
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards - 2006 Winners
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards - 2006 Winners
2 Responses to “Golden Globes’ Firsts and Mosts”
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Is it me or have these ceremonies become extremely predictable? It’s like the Hollywood Foreign Press decided let’s just agree with all of the critics this year and nominate everything the want to be nominated and let all of the people win that they want to win.
Generally speaking, you’re right.
U.S. critics suffer from groupthink-ism, a disease that only allow three or four films, performances, screenplays, etc. to top their best-of lists.
That is unfortunate, as there are a number of deserving movies out there that should have been recognized but weren’t because critics — and groups like the Hollywood Foreign Press — want to be known as Oscar Predictors. After all, that’s where they get their media attention.